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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — after costs
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. present — the time now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. game — a match
  11. present — there
  12. fork — in a road
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. present — a gift
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. net — for catching
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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