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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — the season
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. row — a line
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rest — a break
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spring — of water
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spring — a coil
  24. row — a quarrel

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