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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. row — to paddle
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. row — a line
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tube — a container
  14. ground — the earth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fine — all right
  19. pop — music
  20. fork — in a road
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pop — soda
  24. row — a quarrel

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