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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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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: lash · fork · court · wax · kick · chest · content · rest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rest — a break
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. court — for sport
  11. chest — a box
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. kick — in football
  16. wax — to grow
  17. court — of a king
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. court — of law

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