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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: fork · arm · drill · nail · face · safe · calf · cold

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cold — not warm
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cold — an illness
  16. face — part of the head
  17. drill — army training
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. drill — a practice
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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