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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: racket · fork · kid · cell · toast · date

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fork — in a road
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — child
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kid — to tease
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — bread
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. date — the fruit
  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