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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: foot · straw · fork · present · kick · pitch · kid · pound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fork — in a road
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. present — there
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kid — child

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