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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: march · dip · bay · fork · mine · calf · bowl · cold

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. march — the month
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — music
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fork — to eat with

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