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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 116 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. row — to paddle
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — a line
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. shower — rain
  10. scale — in music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. shower — to wash
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. season — of the year
  24. row — a quarrel

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