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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 · cabinet · pound · arm · content · suit · stick · object

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. content — happy
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. object — to protest
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. object — a thing
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. suit — clothes
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fork — in a road
  19. content — the amount
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. object — an aim
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. arm — a part of something

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