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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · degree · fork · toast · spell · chip · calf · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chip — to eat
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chip — for betting
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a tool
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. file — a document
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. degree — an amount
  20. toast — bread
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spell — a short time

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