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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fork — in a road
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cell — in biology
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bore — to tire
  14. clip — a video
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. net — after costs
  18. clip — for paper
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. net — in sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bore — gave birth

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