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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ground — the earth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ground — a position
  15. branch — a division
  16. march — the month
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. march — music
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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