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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: suit · ground · rest · kid · toast · band · fork · stick

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. suit — to fit
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. toast — bread
  8. band — a music group
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. suit — clothes
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — in a road
  14. kid — child
  15. rest — a break
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. band — a ring
  18. suit — in cards
  19. ground — the earth
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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