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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. last — finally
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — in football
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fork — in a road
  10. scale — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — size or range
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. deal — to handle
  16. last — to go on
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. last — final
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. deal — an agreement

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