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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · hand · present · pass · cell · bowl · squash · fork

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. present — there
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. present — a gift
  18. squash — the sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — help

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