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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. roll — a list
  6. drill — the tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ball — a great time
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — for digging
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. drill — army training
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — a cake
  23. swing — music
  24. bear — to put up 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