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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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468
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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. club — a group
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. club — for golf
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — a match
  15. kid — to tease
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. kid — child
  19. march — the month
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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