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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. season — in sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. season — of the year
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. court — of a king
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — goods
  19. vault — a safe
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. court — of law
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. straw — dry grass

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