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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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. rush — hurry
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. current — electric
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cell — a phone
  14. current — happening now
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chair — a leader
  17. current — of water
  18. cold — not warm
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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