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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — for digging
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. board — to get on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. board — a committee
  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