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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lean — to bend
  3. board — to get on
  4. pop — music
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pop — soda
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. lean — thin
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. board — a committee
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — to visit

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