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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. land — ground
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. shower — to wash
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — to come down
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wake — a trail
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. season — of the year
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chip — to eat
  22. land — a country
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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