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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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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. last — final
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — to go on
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. last — finally
  14. key — in music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. game — a match
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. key — the most important part
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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