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

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. march — music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. march — the month
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. can — a tin
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. chip — to eat

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