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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. band — a ring
  6. game — a match
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. present — there
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. present — the time now
  14. file — a line of people
  15. branch — a division
  16. present — a gift
  17. game — wild animals
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fork — in a road
  21. band — a music group
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. file — a document

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