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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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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fork — in a road
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — a country
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tear — to rip
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tear — from crying
  19. roll — a list
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. land — to come down
  24. ruler — for measuring

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