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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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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: club · mate · straw · pit · hand · calf · band · fork

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. pit — in a race
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pit — a hole
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. band — a music group
  10. club — for golf
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. mate — a partner
  23. calf — of the leg
  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