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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. land — to come down
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cue — a signal
  13. snap — to click
  14. present — there
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. present — the time now
  18. wake — a trail
  19. land — a country
  20. cue — a hint
  21. land — ground
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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