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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. mark — a grade
  7. row — a line
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. game — wild animals
  16. club — a group
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. mark — a trace
  20. club — for golf
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pop — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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