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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — soda
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. board — a committee
  14. shower — rain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pop — music
  19. rule — government
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. shower — to wash
  22. board — to get on
  23. ball — a dance
  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