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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ball — a dance
  5. season — of the year
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fork — in a road
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. key — in music
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. race — a contest
  15. chip — to eat
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. race — humankind
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — in sport

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