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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bat — the animal
  3. object — an aim
  4. court — of law
  5. track — to keep track
  6. swing — music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. object — to protest
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. track — a song
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — a path
  21. fork — in a road
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. object — a thing

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