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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. roll — a list
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wax — to grow
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. vault — a safe
  18. sharp — clever
  19. board — a committee
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. board — to get on
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. calf — a young animal

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