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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 · net · saw · rule · arm · last · chest · cap

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rule — a law
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rule — government
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. last — finally
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. last — final
  21. net — for catching
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fork — in a road
  24. net — after costs

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