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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rock — music
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — of law
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. court — for sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. game — wild animals
  24. face — part of the head

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