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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fork — in a road
  4. roll — a list
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. roll — a cake
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. last — to go on
  21. season — of the year
  22. last — final
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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