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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 120 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. craft — boats
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. game — a match
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cabinet — ministers

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