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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. squash — to crush
  8. object — an aim
  9. cold — an illness
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fork — in a road
  14. roll — a list
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. object — a thing
  18. row — a line
  19. object — to protest
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ball — a great time
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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