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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: prune · fork · game · mark · charge · calf · clip · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mark — a grade
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. charge — in control
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. clip — a video
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. game — a match
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mark — a trace
  16. prune — to trim
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fork — in a road
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. prune — to trim
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chair — a professorship

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