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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 116 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: straw · kick · rock · mate · saw · fork

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mate — a friend
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mate — to breed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rock — music

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