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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. can — a tin
  4. rush — hurry
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bound — certain
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chest — a box
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rush — a thrill

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