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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: fork · track · bay · last · mouse · bowl · tear · ground

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. track — a path
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — a song
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. ground — a position
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  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