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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pound — a weight
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. capital — money
  11. game — wild animals
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rush — hurry
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — a city
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young 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