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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. last — final
  6. cue — for pool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bass — the fish
  11. last — to go on
  12. cue — a hint
  13. staff — employees
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cue — a signal
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bass — low music
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — finally
  20. scale — in music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — to push
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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