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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. lean — thin
  2. court — of law
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. court — of a king
  17. bore — to drill
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bore — to tire
  21. net — after costs
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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