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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a great time
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kid — child
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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