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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mug — to rob
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hand — help
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stock — shares
  12. mug — a face
  13. stock — goods
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. game — a match
  17. kick — in football
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fork — to eat with

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