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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 120 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. mine — for digging
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bound — obliged
  9. net — for catching
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. net — after costs
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bound — certain
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bound — tied together

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