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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: field · kid · key · rest · fork · calf · wake · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. fork — in a road
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kid — child
  8. key — for a lock
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. key — in music
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. field — farmland
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rest — a break

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