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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitch — completely
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — the season
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. foot — a measure

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