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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: ball · kick · roll · fork · wound · pit · kid · bay

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kid — child
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pit — in a race
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. roll — a list
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. roll — a cake
  19. kick — in football
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. ball — a dance

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