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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — to cut
  3. season — in sport
  4. object — a thing
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — of the year
  7. object — an aim
  8. suit — in cards
  9. clip — a video
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. suit — to fit
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. object — to protest
  17. content — the amount
  18. fork — in a road
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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