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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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Word bank
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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: land · sharp · roll · suit · chair · squash · fork · tube

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. land — a country
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. land — ground
  6. roll — a list
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — the sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. land — to come down
  14. fork — in a road
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. roll — a cake
  21. suit — clothes
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. roll — on a roll

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