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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a match
  7. march — the month
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rule — a law
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wake — a trail
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rule — government
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. vault — a safe

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