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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. march — music
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mine — for digging
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rock — to move gently

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