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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. plane — a tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fork — in a road
  6. hand — help
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. pit — in a race
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. kid — child
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mate — a partner
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fork — a garden tool

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