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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fork — in a road
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tube — the underground
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. file — a document
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tube — a container
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. date — the fruit
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. date — on the calendar

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