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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: rest · mark · stick · kick · fork · straw · march · rush

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. march — music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. march — the month
  12. mark — a trace
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kick — with a leg

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