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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bat — the animal
  4. firm — steady
  5. fork — in a road
  6. firm — a company
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chip — to eat
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. board — to get on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. board — a committee
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. firm — decided
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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