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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — thin
  6. file — a document
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hand — in cards
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — of ice
  15. file — a line of people
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. lean — to bend
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — of a king
  22. board — to get on
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. file — a tool

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