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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. capital — money
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pop — to visit
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — soda
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ground — a position
  10. capital — a city
  11. pop — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. sharp — clever

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