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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — to recline
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bore — to tire
  13. land — to come down
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — a country
  19. bore — to drill
  20. race — a contest
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bore — gave birth

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