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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. club — for golf
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. roll — a list
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wind — moving air
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fork — in a road
  22. tube — a container
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. object — a thing

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