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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. last — to go on
  4. game — wild animals
  5. last — finally
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. board — a committee
  12. game — a match
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. last — final
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fork — in a road

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