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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chest — of your body
  5. file — a document
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — electric
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. current — of water
  18. file — a line of people
  19. dip — to sink
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — to put up with
  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