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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. kick — in football
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — in a road
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. season — of the year
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitch — completely
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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