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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. current — happening now
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bound — certain
  14. game — a match
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — wild animals
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bound — obliged
  24. row — a line

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