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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. net — after costs
  4. tube — a container
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pop — soda
  8. cap — a hat
  9. net — for catching
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bat — the animal
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pop — music
  22. net — in sport
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. lie — an untruth

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