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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. roll — a cake
  3. land — a country
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. land — ground
  9. shower — rain
  10. land — to come down
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. roll — a list
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

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