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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — in a road
  3. land — a country
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. roll — a list
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cell — in biology
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. land — ground
  12. ground — a position
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. land — to come down
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cell — a phone
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kick — in football
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. roll — a cake
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. fan — to cool the air

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