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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: fork · mate · trunk · roll · rest · ruler · kid · key

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. key — in music
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. key — the most important part
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mate — a friend
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. kid — child
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mate — a partner
  21. roll — a cake
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fork — in a road
  24. roll — a list

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