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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. firm — a company
  7. present — the time now
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. degree — from a university
  11. firm — decided
  12. degree — an amount
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. game — a match
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. present — there
  21. sharp — clever
  22. present — a gift
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — to eat with

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