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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · stick · saw · degree · fork · present · mug · clip

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fork — in a road
  7. present — there
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. present — the time now
  10. suit — in cards
  11. present — a gift
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. degree — from a university
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. saw — the tool
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. suit — to fit
  24. degree — temperature

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