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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: spring · fork · ball · game · kid · toast · track · squash

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kid — child
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ball — a great time
  9. game — a match
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. spring — the season
  12. squash — the sport
  13. track — a song
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. track — a path
  16. squash — to crush
  17. toast — bread
  18. spring — of water
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ball — a dance
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — to keep track
  24. game — a kind of play

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