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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. track — a path
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bank — for money
  5. track — a song
  6. court — of a king
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bank — for money
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. court — of law
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — to wash
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spell — magic
  19. court — for sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — of a river
  24. track — to keep track

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