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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rule — a law
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — final
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. foot — a measure
  11. last — finally
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rule — government
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kid — child
  18. fork — in a road
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. last — to go on

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