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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 116 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: rash · pit · fork · cue · plane · mine · ground · mark

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cue — a hint
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rash — a series
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. ground — a position
  24. mark — a trace

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