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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 120 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — help
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mine — for digging
  16. can — a tin
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. club — for golf
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. staff — a stick

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