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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · land · fork · bat · hand · hide · calf · root

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — a country
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. land — to come down
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bat — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — ground
  24. hide — to keep secret

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