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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. march — music
  4. charge — a price
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. fork — in a road
  11. charge — in control
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. march — the month
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. march — the month
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mug — a face
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. charge — electricity

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