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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rock — music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. spring — the season
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. spring — of water
  14. game — a match
  15. current — electric
  16. spring — a coil
  17. current — of water
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. current — happening now
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fork — a garden tool

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