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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: suit · chest · roll · lie · fork · march · calf · dip

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. suit — to fit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. march — the month
  6. suit — in cards
  7. chest — of your body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. march — music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — a list
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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