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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. object — to protest
  5. snap — to click
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. last — finally
  8. can — to be able to
  9. saw — the tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. object — a thing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fork — in a road
  21. can — a tin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. object — an aim
  24. trunk — of a car

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