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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: pound · calf · present · ball · cold · rush · cue · fork

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. present — there
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. present — the time now
  19. cold — not warm
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. ball — a dance

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