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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ball — a great time
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. game — a match
  8. land — a country
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fork — in a road
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rock — music

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