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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kick — in football
  5. bore — to drill
  6. content — the amount
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. march — the month
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. content — happy
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rule — government
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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