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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fork — in a road
  3. clip — a video
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — for paper
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. drill — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fork — to eat with

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