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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 120 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. dip — to sink
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. track — a path
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. track — to keep track
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. degree — temperature
  21. last — final
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a song
  24. fork — in a road

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