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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tube — the underground
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tube — a container
  15. kid — child
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pitcher — a jug

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