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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: kick · chest · date · mate · press · fork

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kick — in football
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. press — a publisher
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — a friend
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fork — to eat with

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