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

Word bank: fork · degree · last · drill · cell · lean · kick · cabinet

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. drill — army training
  6. last — to go on
  7. kick — in football
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to bend
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lean — thin
  20. cell — a phone
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — final
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cabinet — ministers

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