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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fork — in a road
  3. current — electric
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — the earth
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ground — a position
  12. dip — to sink
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. net — in sport
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. current — of water
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ground — crushed
  24. lie — to recline

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