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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rush — hurry
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — humankind
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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