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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rule — a law
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. land — a country
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. object — a thing
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. land — to come down
  24. rule — government

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