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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mug — a cup
  4. net — for catching
  5. spell — letters
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cap — a hat
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — in sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. net — after costs
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spell — magic
  24. ground — a position

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