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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — in a road
  6. game — wild animals
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. scale — in music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. club — for golf
  19. game — a match
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. vault — a safe

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