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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. club — a group
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. snap — to click
  15. cold — not warm
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — for golf
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fork — a garden 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