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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 116 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: stick · fork · racket · staff · face · kick · mug · fall

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mug — a face
  5. fall — the season
  6. face — to point toward
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fork — in a road
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. kick — in football
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. racket — for tennis

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