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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fork — in a road
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cap — a lid
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wind — moving air
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. swing — music

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