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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. court — of a king
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — of law
  9. club — for golf
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. club — a group
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. club — for dancing
  19. court — for sport
  20. fork — in a road
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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