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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — of a king
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. swing — to play on
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — letters
  16. court — of law
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — music
  22. court — for sport
  23. spell — magic
  24. bulb — for light

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