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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rash — a series
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. track — a path
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — a song
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rash — hasty
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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