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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fine — all right
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fork — in a road
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — to shout
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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