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

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cold — an illness
  4. present — a gift
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ground — a position
  7. present — there
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. present — the time now
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — not warm
  19. ground — the earth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fork — a garden tool

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