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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — ground
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. file — a document
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. key — in music
  16. land — a country
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. key — for a lock
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. land — to come down
  23. file — a tool
  24. rock — music

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