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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: fork · mark · race · net · hand · dip · ground · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — crushed
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ground — the earth
  6. net — in sport
  7. fork — in a road
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. race — humankind
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. ground — a position
  13. race — a contest
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. net — for catching
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. net — after costs
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mark — to pay attention

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