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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. row — to paddle
  15. capital — money
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. capital — a city
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. row — a line
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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