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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: wound · rush · fork · content · safe · hand · deal · toast

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. toast — bread
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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