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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. chip — to eat
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — in music
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fork — a garden tool

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