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

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. face — to point toward
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — to confront
  6. ground — a position
  7. cue — a hint
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fork — in a road
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rash — hasty
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — for pool
  17. rash — a series
  18. staff — employees

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