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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. suit — to fit
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. file — a document
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — in sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. hand — help
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fork — in a road
  20. suit — clothes
  21. net — after costs
  22. suit — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. file — a line of people

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