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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. fork — in a road
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — after costs
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. net — for catching
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pop — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. court — of law
  19. pop — soda
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. court — for sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. court — of a king
  24. scale — for weighing

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