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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 · stand · fan · kick · bore · date · degree · bowl

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bore — to tire

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