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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. bass — low music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a face
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. craft — boats
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mug — a cup
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bass — the fish
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. tear — to rip
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pop — to visit

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