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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. cell — a phone
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mark — a trace
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — the amount
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. content — happy
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — in biology

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