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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 124 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — government
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — a law
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. dip — to sink
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fork — to eat with

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