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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: ground · kid · racket · stand · fine · fork · mark · saw

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — child
  5. ground — the earth
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stand — to bear
  9. ground — a position
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  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