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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — a position
  12. hand — help
  13. current — happening now
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bass — low music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mug — a face
  24. current — of water

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