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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: season · deal · trunk · chair · sharp · drill · fork · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chair — a leader
  7. can — a tin
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. sharp — clever
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. season — of the year
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. season — in sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fork — a garden 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