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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 124 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. band — a music group
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — of water
  6. last — to go on
  7. sharp — clever
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. current — electric
  10. pop — to visit
  11. current — happening now
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pop — soda
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. last — final
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cap — of ice
  20. last — finally
  21. cap — a lid
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cap — a hat

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