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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: fork · scale · kid · toast · mark · bound · foot · lie

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. toast — bread
  2. fork — in a road
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mark — a trace
  6. scale — in music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. kid — child
  13. mark — a grade
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bound — certain
  21. foot — a measure
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. fork — to eat with
  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