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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cell — in biology
  3. clip — a video
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. clip — for paper
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. clip — to cut
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rock — music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cell — a phone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — boats
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. craft — a skill

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