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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. hand — in cards
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. land — to come down
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — in a road
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. season — in sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. season — of the year
  16. present — there
  17. tear — to rip
  18. present — the time now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. land — ground

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