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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: arm · fork · ball · calf · content · straw · deal · wound

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a great time
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. content — happy
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fork — in a road
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. content — the amount
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a dance

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