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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · dip · jam · fall · spell · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fall — to drop
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spell — letters
  8. fall — the season
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spell — a short time
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink

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