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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · fork · lie · dip · season · scale · drill · present

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. drill — army training
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. present — there
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. present — the time now
  12. club — a group
  13. scale — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lie — to recline
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. season — of the year
  21. club — for dancing
  22. present — a gift
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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