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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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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: dip · present · snap · game · pitcher · fork · rock · wind

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. game — a match
  3. present — a gift
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. present — the time now
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. present — there
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rock — a stone
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — to turn a key

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