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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 124 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. land — a country
  2. fork — in a road
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. land — to come down
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. land — ground
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. plane — a tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — exactly
  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