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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. fine — all right
  5. tear — to rip
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rule — government
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. last — finally
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rule — a law
  19. current — electric
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tear — from crying
  24. arm — part of the body

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