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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kick — in football
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wake — a trail

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