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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: cold · mouse · leaves · fork · dip · pitcher · rule · jam

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — not warm
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rule — a law
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fork — in a road
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cold — an illness
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. jam — in traffic

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