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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. can — a tin
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. ground — a position
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ground — crushed

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