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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cap — of ice
  5. net — after costs
  6. cap — a lid
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — for catching
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cap — a hat
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a leader
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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