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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.

Make a worksheet

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: fork · fan · mine · straw · coach · calf · present · safe

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — a gift
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mine — for digging
  10. present — the time now
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. present — there
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fork — in a road
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mine — an explosive
  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