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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: roll · fork · kid · present · chip · march · staff · shower

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. roll — a list
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — a gift
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. staff — a stick
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. march — music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kid — child
  15. fork — in a road
  16. roll — a cake
  17. staff — employees
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — to wash
  20. march — the month
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — there
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — for betting

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