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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fine — high quality
  8. land — a country
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. game — wild animals
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rush — hurry
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. land — to come down
  22. fine — all right
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fork — to eat with

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