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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ground — a position
  5. spell — letters
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — magic
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rock — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. spell — a short time
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kick — in football
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — the season
  24. hand — part of the body

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