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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. staff — employees
  10. band — a ring
  11. ball — a dance
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a music group
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. scale — in music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ball — a great time

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