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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — a practice
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. swing — to play on
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fork — in a road
  15. drill — the tool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — a series
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — a container
  24. fork — to eat with

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