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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: stick · kick · bowl · fork · file · spring · bat · swing

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kick — in football
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — music
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. spring — of water
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bat — the animal
  19. swing — in golf
  20. spring — the season
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. file — a 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