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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fork — in a road
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stand — to bear
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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