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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kid — to tease
  3. track — a path
  4. march — music
  5. track — a song
  6. cap — of ice
  7. march — the month
  8. kid — child
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cap — a hat
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — to keep track

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