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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chest — of your body
  4. net — for catching
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. suit — to fit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. court — for sport
  11. suit — in cards
  12. key — in music
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. net — in sport
  15. key — for a lock
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — of law
  18. net — after costs
  19. suit — clothes
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. court — of a king

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