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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kid — to tease
  3. clip — a video
  4. kid — child
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pit — in a race
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. hand — help
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bank — of a river
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bank — for money
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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