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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. capital — a city
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. capital — money

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