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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. shower — rain
  4. court — of a king
  5. scale — size or range
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. face — to confront
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — soda
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. face — part of the head
  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