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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 120 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: fork · key · track · snap · pit · wound · club · lash

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. club — for golf
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — a song
  8. pit — in a race
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. club — a group
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. track — a path
  20. key — in music
  21. fork — in a road
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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