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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: fork · squash · temple · toast · game · hand · racket · lean

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hand — in cards
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. squash — the sport
  14. toast — bread
  15. fork — in a road
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — a match
  21. lean — to bend
  22. game — wild animals
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. temple — a place of worship

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