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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. content — the amount
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rock — a stone
  8. season — in sport
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cap — a lid
  11. season — of the year
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cap — of ice
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pop — music
  22. content — happy
  23. ground — the earth
  24. content — videos and posts

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