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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. court — of a king
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wake — a trail
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. court — of law
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. court — for sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kick — in football
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitcher — a jug

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