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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 124 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: cabinet · date · fork · tear · pit · kick

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kick — in football
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fork — in a road

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