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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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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: kick · fork · snap · face · drill · bowl · court · fall

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fork — in a road
  6. face — to confront
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. court — of a king
  11. fall — the season
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kick — in football
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. drill — army training
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. snap — to click
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — to roll

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