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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. content — happy
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. content — the amount
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fork — in a road
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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