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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — for digging
  7. content — happy
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mate — to breed
  11. content — the amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mate — a friend
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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