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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ground — crushed
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. drill — the tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — of the year
  18. land — a country
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — a position
  21. land — ground
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — army training

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