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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bound — certain
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chip — to eat
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. season — in sport
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com