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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. shower — rain
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. court — of law
  9. shower — to wash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. squash — the sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. court — of a king
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — in a road
  24. nail — on a finger

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