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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — a hat
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rock — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cap — a lid
  11. staff — employees
  12. cap — of ice
  13. staff — employees
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rock — a stone
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. staff — a stick
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. scale — in music

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