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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: fork · stand · hand · last · dip · bound · rest · content

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — to go on
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bound — tied together
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — the amount
  9. bound — certain
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stand — to bear
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rest — a break
  18. content — happy
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — help
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bound — obliged

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