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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. shower — rain
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. key — in music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. can — a tin
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fork — in a road
  16. key — the most important part
  17. branch — a division
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitch — completely
  20. can — a tin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. key — for a lock

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