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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. charge — electricity
  4. last — finally
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fork — in a road
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. last — to go on
  12. firm — decided
  13. charge — a price
  14. last — final
  15. firm — steady
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — in control
  18. firm — a company
  19. squash — to crush
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. scale — in music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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