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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 drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fine — high quality
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — for sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. court — of a king
  15. cap — of ice
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — of water
  18. fine — all right
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. drill — army training
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. drill — a practice

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