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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. fork — in a road
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. club — a group
  9. game — wild animals
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — crushed
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ground — a position
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. club — for dancing
  22. fall — to drop
  23. club — for golf
  24. fall — the season

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