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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: deal · rest · roll · band · march · fork · game · kick

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rest — a break
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. band — a ring
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rest — what's left
  16. game — wild animals
  17. kick — in football
  18. game — a match
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. roll — a list
  21. march — music
  22. band — a music group
  23. march — the month
  24. deal — to handle

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