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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: row · rule · cabinet · court · calf · straw · fork · lash

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rule — government
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — for sport
  14. row — a line
  15. court — of a king
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rule — a law
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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