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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. game — a match
  3. spell — magic
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. land — a country
  11. bulb — for light
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — letters
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — clever
  22. craft — boats
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spell — a short time

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