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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · kid · fork · rule · content · snap

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. 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. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — child
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rule — government
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. snap — to click
  15. kid — to tease
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. rule — a law
  18. 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