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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. shower — to wash
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fork — in a road
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — after costs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — in sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. squash — the vegetable

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