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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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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: fork · toast · wound · rest · jam · court · tube · wind

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. court — of law
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. court — for sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fork — in a road
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. court — of a king
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — what's left

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