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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fork — in a road
  3. staff — employees
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. court — of a king
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. court — of law
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bound — certain
  13. court — for sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pit — in a race
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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