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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. key — for a lock
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fork — in a road
  6. key — in music
  7. track — a path
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. track — a song
  24. bowl — a dish

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