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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 120 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — a line
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a document
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. file — a tool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rule — a law
  14. fork — in a road
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. squash — the sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stand — to bear
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rule — government

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