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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. ground — a position
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ground — crushed
  12. hand — in cards
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bear — the animal
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fork — in a road
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. scale — size or range
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hand — help
  23. clip — a video
  24. suit — clothes

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