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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. game — a match
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fork — in a road
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. straw — a straw man

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