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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mug — a face
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. roll — a list
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mug — a cup

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