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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — of water
  6. ground — the earth
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — a position
  9. present — the time now
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rock — music
  18. spring — the season
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rock — a stone
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ground — crushed
  24. game — a match

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