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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. plane — a tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — happy
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mark — a trace
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stand — to bear
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. plane — in geometry

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