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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rule — a law
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. court — of law
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — the tool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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