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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: drill · chest · fork · wake · calf · key · clip · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wake — a trail
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chest — a box
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. key — for a lock
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. drill — army training
  13. clip — a video
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. swing — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. key — in music
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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