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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bound — obliged
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. ground — a position
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. season — in sport
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ground — crushed
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bound — certain
  24. arm — part of the body

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