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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. tube — a container
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — a match
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. key — for a lock
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mine — for digging
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. key — in music
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. key — the most important part
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lean — thin

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