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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mark — a grade
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mark — a trace

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