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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. spring — the season
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. swing — to play on
  8. court — for sport
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. key — the most important part
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. swing — in golf
  14. toast — bread
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. key — for a lock
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — music
  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