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

Word bank: rest · calf · cue · wake · fork · swing · tear · court

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. swing — in golf
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. swing — to play on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. court — of a king
  16. cue — a signal
  17. court — of law
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fork — a garden tool

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