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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 · saw · content · bat · tear · vault · ruler · staff

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. staff — employees
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. staff — employees
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. tear — to rip
  21. content — the amount
  22. fork — in a road
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ruler — for measuring

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