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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fall — to drop
  3. degree — an amount
  4. land — a country
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. degree — temperature
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. land — to come down
  14. file — a document
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. land — ground
  17. file — a tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. season — of the year
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. season — in sport
  23. fall — the season
  24. cap — a lid

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