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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stem — to come from
  4. current — electric
  5. ball — a dance
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. current — happening now
  8. scale — in music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mate — to breed
  13. scale — size or range
  14. club — a group
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. club — for golf
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mate — a friend
  19. current — of water
  20. rash — a series
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ball — a great time

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