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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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Word bank
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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: fork · drill · squash · stand · bowl · bat · date · calf

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fork — in a road
  10. drill — army training
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. squash — the sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bat — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. drill — a practice

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