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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. degree — from a university
  6. firm — a company
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. court — of law
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — steady
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. firm — decided
  23. fork — in a road
  24. tear — from crying

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