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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. swing — to play on
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pit — a hole
  8. object — to protest
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. content — happy
  12. pit — in a race
  13. object — an aim
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. object — a thing
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. content — the amount
  22. rush — hurry
  23. swing — music
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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