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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. march — the month
  7. face — to confront
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cell — in biology
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chair — a leader
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cell — a phone
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — music

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