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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kick — in football
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spell — a short time
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fork — in a road
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. spell — letters
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — a position
  17. suit — clothes
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spell — magic
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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