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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. fork — in a road
  7. branch — a division
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. firm — decided
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — a country
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. firm — a company
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kick — in football
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. firm — steady
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mark — a grade

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