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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 · fork · last · bat · pit · snap · field · stand

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. last — to go on
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fork — in a road
  5. last — final
  6. field — for sport
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pit — a hole
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. field — farmland
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. last — finally
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to click
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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