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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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468
Word bank
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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. toast — bread
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fine — high quality
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fork — in a road
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. fine — all right
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. snap — to click
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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