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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — finally
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fork — in a road
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. last — final
  12. row — a line
  13. mark — a trace
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. drill — army training
  17. cell — in biology
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. last — to go on
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bound — certain
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — obliged

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