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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. chip — for betting
  3. roll — a list
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. game — a match
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fall — the season
  19. ball — a dance
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. roll — a cake
  23. straw — a straw man
  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