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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: wake · ruler · fork · ground · cell · chair

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ground — a position
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ruler — a monarch

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