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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. hand — help
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. fork — in a road
  11. club — for golf
  12. last — to go on
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. current — of water
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hand — in cards
  18. club — a group

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