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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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 — a garden tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. key — for a lock
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chest — a box
  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