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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chair — a leader
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kick — in football
  19. kid — child
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. stock — shares
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stock — goods

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