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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. drill — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bark — to shout
  8. track — a song
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. drill — army training
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a path
  23. squash — to crush
  24. track — to keep track

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