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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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Word bank
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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: hand · march · safe · mouse · kick · ground · wound · fork

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — the month
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. march — music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. march — the month
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. kick — in football
  24. hand — help

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