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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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Word bank
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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: can · shower · fork · racket · degree · mate · stick · dip

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mate — a friend
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mate — to breed
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. can — to be able to
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. degree — temperature
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fork — in a road
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — rain
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — a tin

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