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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. net — after costs
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bound — tied together
  7. march — music
  8. dip — to sink
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bound — certain
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fork — in a road
  16. march — the month
  17. mug — a face
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. net — for catching
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. net — in sport
  24. rock — music

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