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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. swing — to play on
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — to go on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. last — final
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. last — finally
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mark — a grade
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. ground — a position

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