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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mug — a face
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — a tin
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pop — soda
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fork — a garden tool

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