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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. chest — a box
  3. present — there
  4. court — for sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spring — of water
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. present — the time now
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — in football
  14. present — a gift
  15. court — of law
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. kick — a thrill

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