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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. object — to protest
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. object — an aim
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cap — of ice
  12. object — a thing
  13. kid — child
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — obliged
  16. game — a match
  17. content — happy
  18. bound — certain
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — tied together
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fork — in a road
  23. content — the amount
  24. lash — to lash out

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