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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: swing · fork · kick · rash · fine · stick · chest · row

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. row — to paddle
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. swing — music
  11. row — a line
  12. fork — in a road
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — a series
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fine — all right

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