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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: saw · kick · hand · lash · wound · bowl · fork · mark

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. kick — in football
  5. mark — a grade
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hand — help
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. hand — part of the body

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