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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · toast · bear · game · hand · staff · cap · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. game — a match
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. can — to be able to
  8. toast — bread
  9. staff — a stick
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. hand — in cards
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fork — in a road
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cap — of ice

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