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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spring — of water
  5. pop — music
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fork — in a road
  8. key — in music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. roll — a list
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bass — low music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pop — soda
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — in cards
  19. spring — a coil
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bass — the fish
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — the season

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