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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 · cue · row · calf · band · ball · snap · pit

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — for pool
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pit — in a race
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. row — a line
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. band — a music group
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. snap — to click
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — in a road
  24. band — a rubber band

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