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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fork — in a road
  10. roll — a list
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. roll — a cake
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. plane — a tool
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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