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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. current — happening now
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. roll — a list
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — crushed
  10. row — a line
  11. ground — a position
  12. fork — in a road
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. current — electric
  15. roll — a cake
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ground — the earth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. current — of water

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