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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. date — the fruit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. row — a line
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fall — the season
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. row — a quarrel

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