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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. track — a path
  5. court — of a king
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — all right
  8. chest — a box
  9. court — for sport
  10. suit — clothes
  11. track — to keep track
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. degree — from a university
  14. track — a song
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fine — high quality
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of law
  21. degree — an amount
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fork — in a road
  24. suit — 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