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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. march — the month
  7. race — a contest
  8. mate — a friend
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — to breed
  11. net — for catching
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — in sport
  17. march — music
  18. net — after costs
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bass — the fish
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. race — humankind
  23. bass — low music
  24. leaves — to go away

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