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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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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: scale · game · ball · calf · racket · fork · hand · drill

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. scale — in music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — in cards
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. ball — a great time
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — army training
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — help
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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