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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: bore · court · key · calf · pit · cold · fork · rush

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. court — of a king
  5. key — in music
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. key — for a lock
  10. court — of law
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. court — for sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pit — in a race
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bore — to drill

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