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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: jam · fork · face · row · saw · hand · net · track

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — a song
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. row — a line
  7. face — to confront
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. net — for catching
  12. face — part of the head
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. track — a path
  15. face — to point toward
  16. row — to paddle
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hand — in cards
  24. saw — the tool

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