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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: kick · calf · race · shower · net · swing · fork · craft

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. swing — music
  3. craft — a skill
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — for catching
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. swing — to play on
  9. shower — to wash
  10. net — after costs
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fork — in a road
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. shower — rain
  15. kick — in football
  16. race — humankind
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. race — a contest
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. swing — in golf
  23. net — in sport
  24. fork — a garden tool

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