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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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pit — in a race
  3. present — the time now
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. present — a gift
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wake — a trail
  15. present — there
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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