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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. lean — thin
  9. game — a match
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. game — wild animals
  23. scale — for weighing
  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