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

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kick — in football
  4. kid — to tease
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — for golf
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. club — a group
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. fork — in a road
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kid — child
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. fall — the season
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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