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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: wound · ball · lie · fork · kid · stand · suit · lash

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. suit — to fit
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stand — to bear
  22. suit — in cards
  23. fork — in a road
  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