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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. band — a ring
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — a face
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mug — to rob
  24. band — a music group

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