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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. content — happy
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cell — a phone
  8. band — a music group
  9. firm — decided
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kick — in football
  12. bore — to tire
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bore — to drill
  15. firm — steady
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. band — a ring
  21. lie — to recline
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. content — the amount
  24. firm — a company

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