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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cold — an illness
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fork — in a road
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bank — for money
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. board — a committee
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — to get on
  24. cold — not warm

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