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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tube — a container
  3. hand — help
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — in sport
  7. content — happy
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. roll — a list
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. date — the fruit
  14. season — of the year
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. plane — a tool
  17. content — the amount
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. roll — a cake
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. hand — in cards

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