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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: last · band · ground · foot · cold · fork · kick · rock

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ground — the earth
  3. kick — in football
  4. fork — in a road
  5. last — to go on
  6. cold — an illness
  7. band — a ring
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. band — a music group
  12. foot — a measure
  13. last — finally
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rock — music
  21. ground — a position
  22. last — final
  23. ground — crushed
  24. foot — part of the body

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