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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: snap · season · kick · game · firm · fork · perch · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. firm — steady
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. snap — to click
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. kick — in football
  10. firm — a company
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. firm — decided
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — of the year
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fork — in a road
  20. season — in sport
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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