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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 116 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — a match
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. game — wild animals
  13. net — in sport
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. calf — a young animal

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