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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — crushed
  3. club — for dancing
  4. ground — a position
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ground — the earth
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kid — to tease
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. club — a group
  17. fork — in a road
  18. track — a path
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. club — for golf
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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