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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — the fish
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cue — a hint
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. game — wild animals
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. fork — in a road
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. game — a match
  24. perch — for a bird

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