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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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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 · last · rush · land · calf · suit · saw · kid

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. last — final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — to go on
  8. land — to come down
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rush — hurry
  11. suit — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. last — finally
  16. suit — clothes
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fork — in a road
  22. suit — to fit
  23. land — ground
  24. fork — to eat with

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