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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. spell — letters
  3. tube — a container
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spring — a coil
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. drill — the tool
  11. track — a song
  12. spell — magic
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — of the year
  15. cell — in biology
  16. spell — a short time
  17. drill — a practice
  18. spring — of water
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. season — in sport
  21. track — a path
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. spring — the season

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