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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mark — a trace
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — for sport
  20. fine — high quality
  21. court — of a king
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. court — of law
  24. saw — the tool

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