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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 120 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: fork · bat · scale · sharp · kick · spring · rest · pit

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pit — in a race
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — a break
  11. scale — in music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spring — a coil
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spring — of water
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. scale — size or range
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — the season
  22. kick — in football
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pit — a hole

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