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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. game — a match
  3. mug — a cup
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tube — a container
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tube — the underground
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. mug — a face
  19. mark — a grade
  20. dip — to sink
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. game — wild animals

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