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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: content · kid · rush · present · ground · wound · board · fork

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wound — an injury
  4. present — the time now
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rush — hurry
  7. content — happy
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. board — a committee
  11. content — the amount
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kid — to tease
  21. board — to get on
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. kid — child
  24. present — a gift

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