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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · calf · bay · craft · fork · mine · row · foot

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. craft — boats
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fork — in a road
  8. row — a line
  9. race — a contest
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mine — for digging
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. race — humankind
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. foot — a measure
  24. row — to paddle

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