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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. court — for sport
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — in biology

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