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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. firm — steady
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. race — the arms race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. race — humankind
  17. firm — a company
  18. march — music
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. firm — decided
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kid — to tease
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. march — the month

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