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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: pit · kid · fall · bound · rush · roll · fork · bay

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bound — certain
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bound — tied together
  9. roll — a list
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pit — a hole
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fall — the season
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bound — obliged

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