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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — magic
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — letters
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool

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