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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 120 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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. drill — a practice
  6. row — a line
  7. board — a committee
  8. race — a contest
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. drill — the tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. file — a document
  16. drill — army training
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bulb — for light
  20. board — to get on
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. race — humankind

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