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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. file — a line of people
  6. kid — to tease
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to click
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bank — for money
  12. board — to get on
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. degree — temperature
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. file — a tool
  22. board — a committee
  23. file — a document
  24. bank — for money

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