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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. last — to go on
  3. court — for sport
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. last — final
  8. court — of law
  9. wax — to grow
  10. key — in music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — finally
  14. chip — for betting
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fork — in a road
  17. court — of a king
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. chip — in a computer

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