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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. clip — to cut
  14. net — in sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — the season
  24. clip — for paper

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