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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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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: bat · present · temple · cue · chair · fork · calf · bore

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. present — a gift
  20. bore — to tire
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fork — a garden tool

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