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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. season — in sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. net — after costs
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. content — the amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fork — in a road
  12. net — for catching
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. content — happy
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. net — in sport
  24. wound — an injury

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