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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — of a word
  6. rash — a series
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. root — of a plant
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a line of people
  13. root — the cause
  14. file — a document
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — help
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. file — a tool
  24. cell — a phone

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