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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. field — farmland
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. field — for sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. field — a subject
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mark — a grade

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