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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bore — to drill
  7. roll — a list
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to confront
  10. rule — a law
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rule — government
  23. fork — in a road
  24. racket — for tennis

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