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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. last — final
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. last — to go on
  16. cold — an illness
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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