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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fork — in a road
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fine — all right
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bowl — a football final

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