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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kick — in football
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. can — a tin
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — for sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. court — of a king
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. clip — to cut
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fork — in a road
  15. craft — a skill
  16. staff — a stick
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cell — in biology
  19. craft — boats
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — for paper
  22. staff — employees
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. court — of law

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