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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — to crush
  6. swing — music
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. swing — to play on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fan — to cool the air

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