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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: kick · chair · mate · rest · ball · stand · fork · prune

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fork — in a road
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rest — a break
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chair — a professorship

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