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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. present — the time now
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — a match
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. present — there
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mate — a friend
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fork — in a road
  24. present — a gift

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