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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: bear · wind · row · face · calf · pass · court · fork

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. row — a line
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bear — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. pass — a permit
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — to paddle
  22. face — to confront
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pass — to spend time

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