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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rest — a break
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bear — the animal
  12. season — in sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — of the year
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. straw — a straw man

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