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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chest — of your body
  7. season — of the year
  8. cue — a hint
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — the fruit
  11. chest — a box
  12. cue — a signal
  13. object — a thing
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cue — for pool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — a path
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. object — an aim
  21. track — a song
  22. season — in sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — in a road

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