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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — wild animals
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. cell — in biology
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. net — after costs
  19. swing — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fork — to eat with

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