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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fine — all right
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. charge — in control
  13. rush — hurry
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. date — the fruit
  17. drill — army training
  18. charge — a price
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pass — a permit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rush — to hurry

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