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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. present — there
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cell — a phone
  6. board — to get on
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. board — a committee
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — finally
  12. season — of the year
  13. fork — in a road
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. present — a gift
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — in sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. present — the time now
  24. cell — in biology

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