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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — to rip
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ball — a dance
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. content — the amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lean — thin
  24. content — happy

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