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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rash — a series
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fall — the season
  9. tube — a container
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lie — to recline
  12. scale — size or range
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. swing — music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — in music
  24. fork — to eat with

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