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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: cell · roll · rest · swing · sharp · chair · mate · fork

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fork — in a road
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. chair — a leader
  9. sharp — clever
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rest — what's left
  13. swing — music
  14. roll — a list
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rest — a break
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mate — to breed

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