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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: kid · fall · ball · kick · stand · fork · mouse · degree

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fall — the season
  9. degree — temperature
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kick — in football
  22. kid — child
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stand — to bear

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