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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. content — the amount
  4. band — a ring
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chair — a leader
  7. firm — a company
  8. fork — in a road
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rule — government
  14. firm — decided
  15. spell — letters
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spring — of water
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. firm — steady
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spell — magic
  22. rule — a law
  23. band — a music group
  24. content — happy

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