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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. field — a subject
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mug — a face
  20. club — a group
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — to rob
  24. lean — to bend

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