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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. squash — the sport
  8. staff — a stick
  9. court — of a king
  10. wind — moving air
  11. staff — employees
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. court — for sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. court — of law
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. land — to come down

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