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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. spell — letters
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fork — in a road
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — magic
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to click
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pop — music
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pop — soda
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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