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

Word bank: ruler · mate · fork · rock · sharp · wind · nail · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rock — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a friend
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mate — a partner
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fork — in a road
  20. sharp — clever
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. nail — for a hammer

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