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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cold — not warm
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pit — a hole
  9. face — part of the head
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cold — an illness
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — moving air
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pound — a weight
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. face — to confront
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pound — to hit hard

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