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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tear — from crying
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cold — an illness
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tear — to rip
  17. dip — to sink
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cold — not warm

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