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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — of water
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rock — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. rule — government
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rule — a law
  20. lean — thin
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rock — a stone
  23. track — a path
  24. rock — to move gently

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