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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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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: fork · press · firm · court · bulb · date · kid · stand

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kid — child
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. press — newspapers
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. firm — a company
  12. court — of a king
  13. bulb — for light
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — steady
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. court — of law
  21. stand — to bear
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. court — for sport

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