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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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Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fork — in a road
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pop — to visit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. scale — in music
  13. pop — music
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — to paddle
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mate — to breed
  19. can — a tin
  20. key — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. row — a line
  23. pop — soda
  24. temple — a place of worship

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