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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: stick · toast · kid · bay · cabinet · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — child
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. toast — bread
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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