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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. scale — size or range
  11. land — to come down
  12. charge — in control
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. land — ground
  17. charge — a price
  18. scale — in music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fork — in a road
  24. snap — to click

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