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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. season — in sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. ground — the earth
  15. season — of the year
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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