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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. suit — clothes
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cold — an illness
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — ground
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. land — to come down
  16. cold — not warm
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. land — a country

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