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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — letters
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. scale — in music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. spell — magic
  12. chip — to eat
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fine — all right
  16. chip — for betting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spell — a short time
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — in a road

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