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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chip — for betting
  4. game — a match
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pit — a hole

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