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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. row — a line
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. key — in music
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cold — not warm
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  24. row — to paddle

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