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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 116 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: ball · chip · fork · bound · spring · kid · craft · bat

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chip — for betting
  4. kid — child
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bound — certain
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bat — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. spring — the season
  23. craft — boats
  24. spring — of water

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