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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cap — a lid
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a hole
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pit — in a race
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fork — in a road
  24. row — a line

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