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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hand — in cards
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — after costs
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. net — in sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bore — to drill
  12. craft — boats
  13. drill — army training
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. hand — help
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. tube — a container
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. net — for catching
  24. fork — in a road

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