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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. chair — a leader
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ground — a position
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. row — a line
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. key — in music
  24. net — in sport

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