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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. saw — the tool
  6. degree — from a university
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. board — to get on
  16. rash — a series
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. degree — an amount
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rash — hasty
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. board — a committee
  24. racket — for tennis

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