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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 120 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — the sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. last — finally
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rest — a break
  15. track — a song
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — help
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fork — in a road
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. last — final
  24. hand — part of the body

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