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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 120 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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — all right
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fine — high quality
  6. can — a tin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. can — a tin
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chair — to sit on

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