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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — a country
  11. rash — hasty
  12. land — ground
  13. fork — in a road
  14. present — the time now
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — to come down
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. mine — for digging

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