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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fine — all right
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. swing — music
  7. board — a committee
  8. land — ground
  9. board — to get on
  10. race — a contest
  11. swing — to play on
  12. face — to point toward
  13. land — a country
  14. fine — high quality
  15. swing — in golf
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. land — to come down
  20. face — to confront
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. fork — to eat with

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