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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. perch — the fish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — in a road
  5. club — a group
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for dancing
  10. face — to confront
  11. clip — for paper
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. clip — a video
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. club — for golf
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. season — in sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — to point toward
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. pit — in a race

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