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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 124 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. drill — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. drill — a practice
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bat — the animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. can — to be able to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. content — the amount
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — happy
  22. can — a tin
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wax — to grow

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