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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fork — in a road
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. toast — bread
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hand — help
  22. season — of the year
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hand — part of the body

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