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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: face · rock · kid · ground · rest · fork · jam · rule

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fork — in a road
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rule — a law
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ground — crushed
  12. face — to confront
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rock — music
  18. ground — a position
  19. rest — what's left
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rule — government
  24. rest — a break

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