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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rash — a series
  8. land — a country
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. suit — to fit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. suit — in cards
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pop — soda
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pop — music
  24. land — to come down

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