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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: fork · straw · calf · cue · bass · staff · pit · race

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cue — for pool
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bass — low music
  16. staff — employees
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. staff — a stick
  19. race — humankind
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bass — the fish
  24. race — a contest

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