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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 · fork · bowl · can · safe · pound · season · wind

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kick — in football
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fork — in a road
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. season — in sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. can — to be able to
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pound — a weight

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