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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. plane — a tool
  3. rule — government
  4. staff — employees
  5. rule — a law
  6. drill — the tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. content — happy
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fork — in a road
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — the amount
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. staff — a stick
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — moving air

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