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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — the animal
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. game — a match
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. present — there
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. calf — of the leg

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