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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cue — for pool
  4. race — a contest
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. present — a gift
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — letters
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rush — hurry
  16. race — the arms race
  17. present — the time now
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. race — humankind
  20. present — there
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. spell — magic
  24. calf — a young animal

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