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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pit — a hole
  4. content — the amount
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rest — what's left
  7. net — in sport
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. net — for catching
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. net — after costs
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chip — to eat
  22. content — happy
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rest — a break

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