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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. craft — a skill
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — boats
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fork — in a road
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kick — in football
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. face — to point toward
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. dip — a sauce

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