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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. content — the amount
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — happy
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cell — in biology
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tube — a container
  24. rest — what's left

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