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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. firm — steady
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. firm — decided
  16. current — of water
  17. pit — in a race
  18. current — electric
  19. can — a tin
  20. firm — a company
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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