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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. clip — a video
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mine — for digging
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. firm — decided
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — for a hammer

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