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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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 — a garden tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pound — a weight
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. key — in music
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. squash — to crush
  18. key — for a lock
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. squash — the sport
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. file — a document
  23. fork — to eat with
  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