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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: wind · leaves · bore · cabinet · toast · fork · game · bat

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. toast — bread
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. game — a match
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cabinet — ministers

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