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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. land — ground
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. game — a match
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — for catching
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. fork — in a road
  15. track — a path
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — a permit
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. track — a song

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