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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. current — happening now
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. club — for dancing
  12. current — electric
  13. mug — a cup
  14. row — a line
  15. current — of water
  16. mug — a face
  17. track — a path
  18. ground — a position
  19. fork — in a road
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. row — to paddle

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