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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bound — certain
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — to come down
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rock — 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