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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: hide · kick · pop · club · chip · fork · bore · straw

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pop — to visit
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. chip — to eat
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pop — soda
  12. bore — to drill
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. club — a group
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kick — in football
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pop — music

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