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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. shower — rain
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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