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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. ground — the earth
  7. spell — letters
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. spell — magic
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ground — a position
  24. safe — out of danger

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