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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 120 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: mate · kid · fall · key · ruler · fork · cell · fan

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fall — the season
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kid — child
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kid — to tease

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