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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. capital — money
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chest — a box
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. band — a ring
  17. deal — to handle
  18. capital — a city
  19. chest — of your body
  20. band — a music group
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. mouse — the animal

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