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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rock — a stone
  5. chair — a leader
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rock — music
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wake — a trail
  14. suit — to fit
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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