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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — in sport
  7. fork — in a road
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. swing — to play on
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. swing — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. swing — in golf
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. calf — a young animal

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