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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. track — a path
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bound — tied together
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bound — certain
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — a song
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — to dunk

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