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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fine — all right
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rock — a stone
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — the amount
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fine — high quality
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. file — a tool
  22. content — happy
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rock — to move gently

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