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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. present — the time now
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. present — a gift
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rock — a stone
  12. present — there
  13. foot — a measure
  14. sharp — clever
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. scale — in music
  21. rock — music
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. racket — for tennis

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