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

Word bank: ground · cap · club · perch · stand · key · date · fork

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stand — to bear
  10. ground — crushed
  11. club — for dancing
  12. key — in music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. date — the fruit
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ground — a position
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. club — for golf
  21. key — for a lock
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — a group

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