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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. row — to paddle
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. content — the amount
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rash — hasty
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fork — in a road
  14. row — a line
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rash — a series
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — temperature
  21. content — happy
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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