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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fork — in a road
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. land — to come down
  14. rash — hasty
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — ground
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bound — obliged
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — a series
  23. track — a song
  24. calf — a young animal

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