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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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. current — happening now
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. spring — the season
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. current — of water
  8. rush — hurry
  9. clip — a video
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — a line
  19. spring — of water
  20. last — final
  21. clip — to cut
  22. spring — a coil
  23. current — electric
  24. row — to paddle

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