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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spell — magic
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fork — in a road
  6. track — a song
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — a path
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rule — a law
  11. race — a contest
  12. track — to keep track
  13. race — humankind
  14. rule — government
  15. rush — hurry
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. spell — letters
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. spell — a short time

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