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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · bat · fork · mouse · cell · scale · ground · safe

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rock — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cell — a phone
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bat — the animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. scale — in music
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cell — in biology

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