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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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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. race — a contest
  5. bass — low music
  6. file — a tool
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — for sport
  12. race — humankind
  13. file — a document
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cue — a hint
  16. key — the most important part
  17. race — the arms race
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bass — the fish
  23. key — in music
  24. cue — a signal

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