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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rest — a break
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fork — in a road
  8. ground — a position
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed

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