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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fork — in a road
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. key — in music
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rock — music
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. spell — magic
  17. rock — a stone
  18. band — a music group
  19. key — for a lock
  20. spell — letters
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fork — to eat with

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