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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pop — music
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wax — to grow
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — a position
  9. sharp — clever
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pass — a permit
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pop — soda
  21. ground — crushed
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — to visit

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