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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — size or range
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. fork — in a road
  11. charge — a price
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. present — the time now
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. scale — in music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. branch — a division
  24. shower — rain

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