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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. row — a line
  3. mate — a partner
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. clip — for paper
  6. land — a country
  7. object — an aim
  8. fork — in a road
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. land — to come down
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — to paddle
  13. clip — a video
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mate — to breed
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. land — ground
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mate — a friend

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