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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · tube · rash · fork · staff · foot · fall · game

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a great time
  5. game — wild animals
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. foot — a measure
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a match
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tube — a container
  17. fork — in a road
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fall — to drop

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