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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mark — a grade
  4. firm — steady
  5. sharp — clever
  6. content — happy
  7. race — a contest
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. firm — a company
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fall — the season
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. content — the amount
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. firm — decided
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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