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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. court — for sport
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fork — in a road
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — happy
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. content — the amount
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. track — a song
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. court — of a king
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. court — of law

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