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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. content — happy
  5. band — a ring
  6. row — a line
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. content — the amount
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. band — a music group
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. row — to paddle
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. kid — to tease
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. vault — a safe

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