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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mug — a face
  5. scale — in music
  6. track — a song
  7. rash — hasty
  8. lean — thin
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. date — the fruit
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fork — in a road
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rash — a series
  19. track — a path
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lean — to rest against

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