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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 124 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chip — for betting
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bass — low music
  11. lean — thin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. land — ground
  14. game — a match
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. land — a country
  17. track — a song
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. land — to come down
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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