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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fork — in a road
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. race — a contest
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. race — humankind
  22. ball — a dance
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mine — an explosive

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