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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: fork · row · roll · saw · content · bound · foot · kick

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kick — in football
  5. saw — the tool
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — a line
  9. content — the amount
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. roll — a list
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fork — in a road
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. foot — a measure
  20. roll — a cake
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. foot — part of the 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