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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 120 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 · court · straw · mouse · foot · lie · bowl · arm

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — for sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lie — to recline
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. court — of law
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. court — of a king
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mouse — the animal

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