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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: saw · fork · stock · date · rule · key · content · present

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — a gift
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. content — happy
  5. stock — shares
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — a law
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stock — goods
  11. present — there
  12. content — the amount
  13. present — the time now
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. saw — the tool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rule — government

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