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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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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. band — a ring
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. current — electric
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. current — of water
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — a match
  20. current — happening now
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. sharp — with an edge

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