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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a music group
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — of the year
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. date — the fruit
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. season — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. season — to add flavour

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