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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. key — in music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. roll — a list
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. drill — army training
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. roll — a cake

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