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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kick — in football
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — the tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. drill — army training
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — government
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rule — a law
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. saw — the tool

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