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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rock — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kid — child
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. branch — a division
  14. rash — a series
  15. pop — to visit
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pop — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. kid — to tease

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