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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. present — a gift
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. prune — to trim
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitch — completely
  18. present — the time now
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. present — there
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — certain

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