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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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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 · lash · stick · game · bore · scale · board · chest

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. scale — in music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. board — a committee
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chest — a box
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. game — a match
  22. scale — size or range
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chest — of your body

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