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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. scale — size or range
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spring — of water
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. scale — in music
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. staff — a stick
  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