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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. can — a tin
  8. club — for dancing
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. club — a group
  15. fork — in a road
  16. key — the most important part
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. key — in music
  22. club — for golf
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. straw — a straw man

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