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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. face — to point toward
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. present — there
  5. fork — in a road
  6. face — to confront
  7. charge — a price
  8. game — a match
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — a lid
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — of ice
  14. band — a music group
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. cap — a hat
  18. band — a ring
  19. hand — in cards
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fork — a garden tool

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