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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. squash — to crush
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mark — a grade
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. drill — the tool

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