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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cap — a hat
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rule — government
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. rule — a law
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. rule — to rule out

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