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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. game — a match
  8. rule — a law
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kick — in football
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. rule — government
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. calf — of the leg

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