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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: perch · capital · foot · season · date · key · track · fork

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. key — for a lock
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — in music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. season — in sport
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. perch — the fish
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. key — the most important part
  14. capital — a city
  15. season — of the year
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. track — to keep track
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. capital — money
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fork — in a road

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