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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. charge — in control
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. spring — of water
  17. charge — a price
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. charge — electricity

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