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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in 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 — the Cold War
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. roll — a list
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fork — in a road
  17. roll — a cake
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pit — in a race
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mouse — the animal

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