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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. content — happy
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. hand — help
  7. content — the amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. net — for catching
  16. hand — in cards
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. patient — calm and waiting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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