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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a match
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rash — a series
  18. game — wild animals
  19. can — a tin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rock — a stone
  22. swing — music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fan — a supporter

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