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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: stand · kick · fine · ruler · degree · straw · fork · kid

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. kick — in football
  11. kid — child
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — high quality
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fine — all right
  19. stand — to bear
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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