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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mine — for digging
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chest — a box
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kid — child
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fine — all right
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fine — a penalty

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