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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. drill — army training
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. staff — employees
  14. roll — a list
  15. cue — a hint
  16. staff — employees
  17. stand — to bear
  18. row — to paddle
  19. staff — a stick
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. row — a line
  24. cue — for pool

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