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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — for digging
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — a lid
  9. net — in sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. court — of law
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. court — of a king
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ball — a great time
  22. net — after costs
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. court — for sport

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