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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. fork — in a road
  3. land — a country
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. court — of law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. court — for sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. game — a match
  12. toast — bread
  13. land — ground
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. court — of a king
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. jam — a tight spot

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