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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — for paper
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — a video
  9. track — a path
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spell — magic
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — to cut
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — to keep track
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spell — letters

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