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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. track — a path
  7. fork — in a road
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. track — a song
  11. swing — to play on
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — to keep track
  14. swing — music
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. swing — in golf
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spell — magic
  24. date — the fruit

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