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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. pop — music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pop — soda
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pop — to visit
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. mate — a partner
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mate — to breed
  15. ground — a position
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. perch — for a bird

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