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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chip — for betting
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — a match
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. key — in music
  21. fork — in a road
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — to grow

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