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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chair — a leader
  8. plane — a tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. kick — in football
  11. fork — in a road
  12. sharp — clever
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. club — for golf
  16. swing — music
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. swing — in golf
  24. sharp — with an edge

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