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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. deal — to handle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. kid — child
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. rest — a break
  24. pitch — completely

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