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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: cabinet · rest · dip · march · fork · kid · object · net

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. net — after costs
  5. kid — child
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. dip — to sink
  9. net — for catching
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — music
  12. object — an aim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rest — a break
  16. object — to protest
  17. fork — in a road
  18. object — a thing
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — in sport
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. dip — to dunk

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