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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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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 · sharp · mine · tube · chair · calf · object · kid

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. chair — a leader
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — the underground
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. fork — in a road
  16. kid — child
  17. object — to protest
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. kid — to tease
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. sharp — clever
  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