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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. row — a line
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rock — a stone
  7. row — to paddle
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tube — the underground
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. tube — a container

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