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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. degree — from a university
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. degree — temperature
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. degree — an amount
  18. drill — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fork — in a road

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