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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: club · fork · wake · pound · last · cabinet · net · suit

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. club — a group
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. last — to go on
  5. suit — clothes
  6. fork — in a road
  7. last — final
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pound — a weight
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. club — for golf
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — a trail
  18. suit — to fit
  19. club — for dancing
  20. last — finally
  21. net — after costs
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pound — for dogs

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