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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bore — to tire
  5. net — after costs
  6. roll — a list
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bore — to drill
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spell — magic
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — a cake
  24. net — for catching

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