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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rest — a break
  3. court — for sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. court — of law
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. court — of a king
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cap — a hat
  14. club — for golf
  15. rule — a law
  16. stem — to come from
  17. plane — a tool
  18. club — for dancing
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rule — government
  22. cap — of ice
  23. club — a group
  24. rest — what's left

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