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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. present — there
  13. race — the arms race
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. race — humankind
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. vault — a safe
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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