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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. staff — a stick
  11. row — a line
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. row — to paddle
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. march — the month
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rock — a stone
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. march — music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. staff — employees

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