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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spring — of water
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fork — in a road
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kick — in football
  11. board — a committee
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rash — a series
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bound — certain
  17. kid — child
  18. spring — the season
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rash — hasty
  22. board — to get on
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bound — obliged

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