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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chip — for betting
  4. spring — of water
  5. march — music
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fork — in a road
  8. track — to keep track
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. track — a song
  13. band — a ring
  14. march — the month
  15. track — a path
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. band — a music group
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lean — thin
  24. spring — the season

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