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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: rock · kick · rash · fall · ruler · date · mine · fork

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rash — a series
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — in a road
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — in football
  15. fall — the season
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. date — the fruit
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. date — on the calendar

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