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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. band — a music group
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. band — a ring
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pop — to visit
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pop — music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. dip — to sink

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