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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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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. shower — rain
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — after costs
  7. board — a committee
  8. fork — in a road
  9. key — for a lock
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. board — to get on
  14. cap — a hat
  15. net — in sport
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — to wash
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cap — of ice

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