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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: toast · net · can · fork · craft · wind · kick · content

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. content — the amount
  3. wind — moving air
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. net — for catching
  10. fork — in a road
  11. net — in sport
  12. content — happy
  13. craft — a skill
  14. can — to be able to
  15. toast — bread
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. can — a tin
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. net — after costs
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. craft — boats
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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