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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cold — not warm
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fork — in a road
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. root — the cause
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cell — in biology
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cell — a phone
  20. snap — to click
  21. root — of a word
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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