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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fork — in a road
  8. content — the amount
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bank — for money
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rule — a law
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bank — for money
  18. content — happy
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — government
  24. racket — for tennis

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