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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: rock · fork · last · safe · sharp · swing · tube · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tube — the underground
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — to rip
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — final
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tube — a container
  13. tear — from crying
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rock — music
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. swing — in golf
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. swing — to play on

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