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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. swing — to play on
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. swing — music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. march — the month
  15. fork — in a road
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. swing — in golf
  20. dip — to sink
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. march — music

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