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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ball — a great time
  12. race — humankind
  13. cue — for pool
  14. field — for sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mark — a grade
  18. race — a contest
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — a subject
  22. bore — to tire
  23. field — farmland
  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