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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — the month
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. land — ground
  6. fork — in a road
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. march — the month
  13. scale — in music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mate — to breed
  16. swing — music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. march — music
  19. land — a country
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mate — a partner
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mate — a friend
  24. land — to come down

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