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

Word bank: dip · hand · fork · wind · pit · racket · cap · drill

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wind — moving air
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — of ice
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. drill — army training
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cap — a hat
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cap — a lid
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fork — a garden tool

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