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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. file — a tool
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. land — to come down
  11. file — a line of people
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. roll — a list
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. roll — a cake
  19. file — a document
  20. land — a country
  21. chip — for betting
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. fork — in a road
  24. roll — on a roll

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