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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. present — a gift
  7. fork — in a road
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. swing — to play on
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. present — there
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. swing — in golf
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. swing — music
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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