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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 116 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 · cell · mark · saw · court · sharp · rule

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rule — government
  4. court — of law
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. court — for sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rule — a law
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. fork — to eat with

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