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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fork — in a road
  7. saw — the tool
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. last — final
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. suit — in cards
  16. last — finally
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — to go on
  21. mate — a friend
  22. suit — clothes
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bark — to shout

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