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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: fork · bear · mine · sharp · calf · net · fan · game

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. game — a match
  11. net — after costs
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. net — for catching
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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