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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cold — an illness
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — a country
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bank — for money
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. land — ground
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bank — of a river
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pop — soda
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bank — for money
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — music
  24. cue — for pool

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