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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. net — for catching
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bound — certain
  5. spring — of water
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a line
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. spring — a coil
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. net — after costs
  20. hand — help
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bound — tied together
  23. net — in sport
  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