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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hand — in cards
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chair — a leader
  9. snap — to click
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — for sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — help
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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