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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bat — the animal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. scale — in music
  22. shower — rain
  23. pop — soda
  24. bark — to shout

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