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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rule — government
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rule — a law
  13. game — a match
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. can — a tin
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. leaves — to go away

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