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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: dip · bear · race · fork · bat · leaves · mark · rule

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rule — government
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bat — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mark — a grade
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. race — a contest
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. race — humankind
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rule — a law
  24. bear — the animal

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