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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hand — help
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mine — for digging
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rest — what's left

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