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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a music group
  5. scale — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cold — not warm
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pit — a hole
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. scale — size or range
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a ring
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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