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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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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: kid · rest · rule · craft · key · fork

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. kid — child
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. key — in music
  7. rule — government
  8. key — the most important part
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rule — a law
  15. kid — to tease
  16. key — for a lock
  17. craft — boats
  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