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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rock — music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. cold — an illness
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. content — happy
  24. fork — in a road

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