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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hide — to keep secret

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