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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. net — for catching
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. court — for sport
  14. net — in sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fork — in a road
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — after costs
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bowl — a dish

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