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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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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. board — to get on
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — a face
  11. spring — of water
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. board — a committee
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mug — to rob
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chair — a leader

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