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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · suit · fork · mark · toast · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mark — a grade
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — in biology
  9. club — a group
  10. suit — clothes
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. suit — to fit
  14. toast — bread
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fork — in a road

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