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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. foot — a measure
  4. last — final
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bank — for money
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to bend
  10. swing — to play on
  11. last — finally
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. last — to go on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — the animal
  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