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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. present — there
  4. content — the amount
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cap — a hat
  8. present — a gift
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. court — of a king
  12. cap — of ice
  13. present — the time now
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. cue — a signal
  21. content — happy
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cue — for pool

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