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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: pop · nail · fork · cold · pit · march · mouse · fan

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pop — soda
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — music
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — to visit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pit — in a race

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