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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. track — a song
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. track — to keep track
  7. court — of law
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pop — soda
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pop — music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. track — a path
  16. court — for sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — of a king
  19. present — the time now
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. cold — an illness

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