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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 124 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. track — a song
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. net — for catching
  16. hand — in cards
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — happening now
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. net — in sport
  23. current — electric
  24. hand — help

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