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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — of water
  3. court — of law
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. root — of a plant
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. current — electric
  11. cue — a signal
  12. court — for sport
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. craft — boats
  18. current — happening now
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. root — of a word
  21. court — of a king
  22. root — the cause
  23. craft — a skill
  24. cold — an illness

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