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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — to protest
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. row — a line
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — an aim
  8. content — happy
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. net — in sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. net — for catching
  18. object — a thing
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. content — the amount
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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