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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fall — the season
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — the month
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. content — the amount
  12. fall — to drop
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — electric
  16. object — a thing
  17. current — of water
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. march — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. content — videos and posts

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