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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. fork — in a road
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. court — of a king
  9. drill — army training
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. court — for sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. safe — out of danger

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