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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: pit · fork · tear · kid · foot · deal

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. foot — a measure
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kid — to tease
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kid — child
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pit — in a race
  18. deal — a big deal

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