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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. season — in sport
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. land — ground
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rule — a law
  17. season — of the year
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. land — to come down
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. land — a country
  23. rule — government
  24. fork — in a road

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