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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. cue — a signal
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cue — for pool
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — final
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. club — a group
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — to bear
  20. degree — temperature
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — for spectators
  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