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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — certain
  5. object — to protest
  6. game — wild animals
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. net — for catching
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. object — an aim
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — to wash
  16. file — a document
  17. bound — tied together
  18. net — in sport
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bound — obliged
  21. net — after costs
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. file — a tool
  24. object — a thing

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