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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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. sharp — clever
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spell — letters
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. land — a country
  18. stem — to come from
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. land — ground
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rush — hurry
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. land — to come down

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