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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. tear — from crying
  10. current — of water
  11. bore — to tire
  12. current — happening now
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pound — a weight
  16. current — electric
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cue — a hint
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pound — to hit hard

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