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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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Word bank
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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 · rush · fork · scale · kid · nail · saw · ball

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fork — in a road
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ball — a dance
  6. kid — child
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ball — a great time
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rush — hurry
  12. scale — in music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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