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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: drill · saw · fork · present · kick · court · pass · bay

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. present — the time now
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. present — there
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. drill — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. present — a gift
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. kick — in football
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. court — for sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — army training
  23. fork — in a road
  24. saw — the 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