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

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. game — a match
  12. track — a song
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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