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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pit · firm · calf · nail · game · drill · field

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — for sport
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. firm — decided
  9. field — farmland
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. drill — a practice
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. firm — a company
  20. field — a subject
  21. game — a match
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. drill — army training

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