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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a ring
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pop — to visit
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fine — all right
  15. game — wild animals
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fine — high quality
  19. game — a match
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fine — a penalty

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