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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stock — shares
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. sharp — clever
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. file — a document
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stock — goods
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. file — a line of people
  19. degree — temperature
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a tool
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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