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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. land — a country
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — to come down
  6. bound — certain
  7. land — ground
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. key — in music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cell — a phone
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fine — all right
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fan — a supporter

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