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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. land — ground
  7. drill — a practice
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — the tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fork — in a road
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. drill — army training
  24. tube — the underground

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