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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cap — a lid
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ground — a position
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — happy
  17. cap — of ice
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. perch — the fish
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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