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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cap — of ice
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wake — a trail
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cap — a lid
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — for pool
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wake — before a funeral

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