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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rule — government
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pop — soda
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rule — a law
  20. wax — to grow
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fork — in a road

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