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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 116 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 · game · rock · calf · squash · cap · cold · lie

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cap — a hat
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cold — an illness
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cold — not warm
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rock — a stone
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. squash — the vegetable

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