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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. last — to go on
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spell — letters
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — a short time
  24. leaves — of a tree

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