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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. last — to go on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tube — the underground
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitcher — a jug

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