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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. saw — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mark — a grade
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — happy
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. content — the amount
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. trunk — of a tree

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