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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rash — hasty
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — in sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. track — a song
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fork — in a road
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mate — a friend
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. cap — a lid
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. track — a path
  24. mate — a partner

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