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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. band — a music group
  2. row — a line
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. land — a country
  7. bank — of a river
  8. sharp — clever
  9. land — to come down
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — ground
  15. band — a ring
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. roll — a list
  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