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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.

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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. saw — the tool
  4. suit — to fit
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. suit — clothes
  10. net — after costs
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. net — for catching
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. sharp — with an edge

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