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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. game — a match
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. tube — a container
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. charge — a price
  16. key — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mate — to breed
  19. charge — electricity
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — wild animals
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — in control

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