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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: sharp · fork · rash · swing · row · face · kick · stick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. face — to confront
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rash — hasty
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. row — to paddle
  10. swing — music
  11. sharp — clever
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rash — a series
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — in football
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rash — on the skin

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