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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. craft — boats
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — in a road
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — a break
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mate — a partner

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