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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · spell · land · chip · craft · race · fan · ground

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. spell — letters
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — a position
  6. fork — in a road
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. race — a contest
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chip — for betting
  14. craft — boats
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — a country
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. spell — magic
  24. land — ground

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