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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — a phone
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kid — child
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. charge — in control
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — all right
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. perch — the fish
  18. charge — a price
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cell — in biology
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fork — a garden tool

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