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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 · leaves · chest · straw · object · content · mark · rest

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rest — a break
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chest — a box
  6. object — to protest
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — an aim
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mark — a trace
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. content — the amount
  14. fork — in a road
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rest — what's left
  17. content — happy
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. object — a thing
  24. chest — of your body

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