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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. staff — a stick
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bat — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lash — to lash out

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