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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. field — farmland
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. sharp — clever
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — to breed
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. field — for sport
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mate — a partner
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — a subject
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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