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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mug — a face
  4. land — ground
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. land — a country
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. drill — a practice
  10. land — to come down
  11. mug — to rob
  12. drill — army training
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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