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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spell — magic
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rash — a series
  11. spell — letters
  12. rest — a break
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rest — what's left
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ground — a position

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