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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mark — a grade
  8. game — a match
  9. row — a line
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. mark — a trace
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bass — low music
  23. mate — to breed
  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