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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. land — ground
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. drill — army training
  16. land — a country
  17. season — in sport
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. wound — an injury
  24. season — of the year

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