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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fork — in a road
  3. hand — help
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. drill — the tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. season — in sport
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. drill — army training
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. drill — a practice
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hand — in cards
  24. track — to keep track

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