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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. board — a committee
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spring — of water
  15. fork — in a road
  16. spring — the season
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cell — a phone
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. board — to get on
  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