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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. 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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. current — happening now
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bound — obliged
  9. hand — help
  10. current — of water
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. current — electric
  14. bound — tied together
  15. track — a song
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. kid — child
  18. bound — certain
  19. bark — to shout
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. kid — to tease
  23. hand — in cards
  24. sharp — clever

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