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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. firm — a company
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kid — child
  10. firm — decided
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. firm — steady
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — to tire
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fork — in a road
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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