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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fork — in a road
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bore — to tire
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — for paper
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fall — the season
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chair — a leader
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fall — to drop

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