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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. pitch — completely
  10. staff — a stick
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — a position
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bowl — a football final

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