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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — in a road
  5. scale — in music
  6. game — a match
  7. face — part of the head
  8. suit — clothes
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. face — to point toward
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. suit — in cards
  24. scale — size or range

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