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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cue — a signal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — a line
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. present — the time now
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. present — there
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cue — a hint
  17. present — a gift
  18. calf — a young animal

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