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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: season · kid · chair · firm · date · pound · row · fork

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fork — in a road
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. firm — a company
  7. kid — child
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. firm — steady
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. season — in sport
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pound — a weight
  23. date — the fruit
  24. row — a line

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