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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: stand · fork · bear · game · rule · present

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rule — government
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. present — there
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  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