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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tube — a container
  5. board — a committee
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — wild animals
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. tube — the underground
  14. board — to get on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mark — a trace
  17. game — a match
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. last — to go on
  24. cell — a phone

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