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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — after costs
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. net — in sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. kick — in football
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chair — a leader
  19. net — for catching
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wave — of the sea

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