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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. spell — magic
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fork — in a road
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — a country
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rash — hasty
  24. spell — letters

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