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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — to tease
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rule — government
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fork — in a road
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. rule — a law
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. kid — child
  24. mark — to pay attention

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