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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pop — soda
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. key — the most important part
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. spell — magic
  9. squash — to crush
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spell — letters
  12. hand — help
  13. key — in music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pop — music
  16. current — happening now
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hand — in cards
  20. current — electric
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. current — of water

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