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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 124 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bat — the animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. object — to protest
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. object — an aim
  12. pop — music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. object — a thing
  17. pop — soda
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pop — to visit
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. date — on the calendar

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