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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: net · rush · fork · chest · dip · toast · calf · game

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — a match
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. net — for catching
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. game — wild animals
  16. net — after costs
  17. toast — bread
  18. dip — to sink
  19. net — in sport
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the 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