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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. net — for catching
  5. bound — tied together
  6. object — a thing
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bound — certain
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fine — all right
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fork — in a road
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. object — an aim
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cell — in biology
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. net — after costs

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