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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. ground — the earth
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ground — a position
  20. pop — music
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. foot — the bottom

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