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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. last — to go on
  5. toast — bread
  6. net — after costs
  7. kick — in football
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rule — a law
  12. net — for catching
  13. chest — a box
  14. last — final
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. can — a tin
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. last — finally
  23. rule — government
  24. can — a tin

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