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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 · band · mate · fork · stock · present · safe · fall

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — the season
  8. present — the time now
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fall — to drop
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. present — there
  16. band — a music group
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — shares
  19. band — a ring
  20. present — a gift
  21. stock — goods
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fork — a garden tool

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