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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rest — a break
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cue — for pool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — a signal
  18. scale — size or range
  19. game — a match
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rock — music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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