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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. firm — steady
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cue — a signal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. firm — decided
  14. cue — for pool
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — in a road
  17. march — music
  18. firm — a company
  19. band — a ring
  20. snap — to click
  21. march — the month
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a music group
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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