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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: stand · kid · date · suit · fork · clip · foot · game

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. kid — child
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. game — wild animals
  8. date — the fruit
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stand — to bear
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. clip — for paper
  16. foot — a measure
  17. suit — in cards
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. suit — to fit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. suit — clothes

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