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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. key — in music
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. roll — a list
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. roll — a cake
  10. plane — a tool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cue — for pool
  18. game — a match
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. key — for a lock
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. key — the most important part

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