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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fork — in a road
  3. club — a group
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. march — music
  8. drill — army training
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. club — for golf
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — to trim
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. game — a match
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. drill — a practice
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. march — the month

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