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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — happening now
  7. tear — to rip
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bat — the animal
  10. current — electric
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. current — of water
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ball — a dance
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fork — in a road

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