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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: ground · lie · fork · hand · game · clip · coach · rest

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — in a road
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — wild animals
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — help
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. clip — a video
  18. ground — crushed
  19. clip — for paper
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. ground — the earth

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