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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. current — happening now
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mug — a face
  17. current — electric
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mug — a cup
  21. current — of water
  22. kid — child
  23. fork — in a road
  24. clip — a video

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