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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — in a road
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. ball — a great time
  7. club — a group
  8. ground — the earth
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — ground
  14. row — a line
  15. club — for golf
  16. ball — a dance
  17. club — for dancing
  18. ground — a position
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. track — a path
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rest — a break

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