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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mate — to breed
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. spell — magic
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. hand — help
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — to come down
  12. mate — a partner
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mate — a friend
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. land — ground
  24. coach — a trainer

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