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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: ruler · chip · shower · mine · lean · fork · toast · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. toast — bread
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lean — thin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mine — for digging
  21. shower — rain
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fork — in a road

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