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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. land — a country
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — ground
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — a stone
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rock — music
  11. face — to confront
  12. tube — a container
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fine — all right
  17. fork — in a road
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. snap — to click
  23. land — to come down
  24. perch — for a bird

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