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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. board — a committee
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — to keep track
  12. last — final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. track — a path
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. track — a song
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cap — a hat
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cap — of ice

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