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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. squash — the sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chip — for betting
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. row — a line
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. squash — to crush
  13. row — to paddle
  14. game — a match
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. press — a publisher
  20. craft — a skill
  21. press — to push
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chip — in a computer

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