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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 had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — certain
  4. fork — in a road
  5. content — happy
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bound — tied together
  14. shower — to wash
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. row — a line
  18. shower — rain
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wind — moving air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wind — to turn a key

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