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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.

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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — in a road
  5. drill — a practice
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kick — in football
  8. drill — army training
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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