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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stand — to bear
  18. scale — in music
  19. chest — a box
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bound — certain
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bound — obliged
  24. roll — a list

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