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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. current — happening now
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — electric
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — of water
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bear — the animal

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