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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: fork · kick · rest · degree · kid · bass · bowl · staff

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kid — child
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bass — the fish
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rest — a break
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — in football
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. degree — an amount
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. kid — to tease
  23. staff — employees
  24. kick — a thrill

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