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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pass — a permit
  6. scale — size or range
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — for catching
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — magic
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. snap — to click
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. pass — to succeed

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