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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: racket · fork · kid · cell · toast · date · wake · kick

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kick — in football
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kid — child
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — bread
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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