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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fork — in a road
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mate — a friend
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wound — an injury
  14. sharp — clever
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. net — for catching
  24. fork — a garden tool

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