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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: dip · mate · fork · kid · cue · can · ground · net

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kid — child
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mate — a friend
  9. can — to be able to
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ground — a position
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — in sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fork — in a road
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. net — after costs
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cue — a signal
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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