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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. hand — help
  3. rock — music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — a video
  9. rock — a stone
  10. clip — for paper
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — obliged
  15. perch — the fish
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. clip — to cut
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. staff — employees
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bound — tied together
  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