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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cell — a phone
  5. present — a gift
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fork — in a road
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. present — there
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — the time now
  24. key — the most important part

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